2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
24th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting CHOGM 2015 | |
---|---|
St. Julian's Birgu | |
Participants | 52 (of 53 members) |
Heads of State or Government | 31 (30 at Opening Ceremony) |
Chair | Joseph Muscat (Prime Minister of Malta) |
Follows | 2013 |
Precedes | 2018 |
Website | chogm2015 |
Key points | |
Climate change and global sustainability Extremism, terrorism and security Refugee crisis Economic issues Election of Secretary-General Decriminalisation of homosexuality Corruption |
The 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, also known as CHOGM 2015 was the 24th
Background
The summit, which was originally designated to be hosted by
Venues
The summit was held at various venues in
Due to poor weather, the official welcoming ceremony for the royal party occurred at San Anton Palace rather than an open air event at St. George’s Square in Valletta as originally planned.[6]
Commonwealth Secretary General election
The meeting elected a new
Baroness
For the first time in Commonwealth history, the Commonwealth Foundation organised a debate between the candidates as part of the Commonwealth People's Forum. This was held on 25 November - two days before the election - in the Maltese House of Representatives. It was chaired by the Speaker of the House, Angelo Farrugia, who took questions from members of civil society present in the chamber. The three declared candidates at the time of debate - Masire-Mwamba, Sir Ronald and Baroness Scotland - were all present. Two representatives of the Maltese parliament also attended and spoke briefly at the end of the debate.[citation needed]
Agenda
The Commonwealth meeting was held immediately prior to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris. The Commonwealth conference accordingly held a special session on climate change and global sustainability[15] in an attempt to build political support around the issue prior to the Paris summit;[16] In consideration of small island nations that are being threatened by
The summit, being held in the aftermath of the
The leaders also chose a new venue for the next summit, originally scheduled for 2017, as Vanuatu, which was originally selected as host, rescinded its offer to host due to the long-term effects of devastation to the island nation's infrastructure caused by Cyclone Pam in March 2015.[22] It was determined that Britain would host the next CHOGM in London in the spring of 2018, delayed from late 2017 due to other international commitments.[19][23] Accordingly, the 26th CHOGM that was planned for Malaysia in 2019 was pushed back to 2020.[24]
Attendees
Leaders in attendance included
Outcomes
Climate change
The leaders agreed on and issued the Commonwealth Leaders’ Statement on Climate Action which called climate change an "existential threat" to many states and called for the upcoming
Peace and security
The final Communiqué issued by leaders at the end of the CHOGM also addressed the issues of peace and security, affirming that "radicalisation, violent extremism and terrorism in all its forms and ramifications are serious threats to the whole world" and called upon Commonwealth members to fully implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 2178 (2014) on terrorism and extremism and called for the implementation of "national strategies to counter radicalisation, violent extremism and terrorism" including education and the addressing of grievances and alienation by susceptible individuals, particularly young people.[24] The Commonwealth leaders also agreed to a British proposal to create a new unit of experts to counter extremism. The body will be run by the Commonwealth Secretariat, which will combat radicalisation and terrorist recruitment across the Commonwealth. Australia has committed $2.5 million to the unit in addition to a £5 million by Britain.[13][43]
The Communiqué also encouraged all countries to accede to and fully implement the Arms Trade Treaty of 2014 in order to curtail the illicit trade in conventional weapons including small arms.[24]
Human rights, good governance, and migration
The statement also reaffirmed commitments to human rights and good governance, and respect for rule of law and democratic principles and "agreed to enhance national and international efforts to address the causes of irregular migration including prevention and abatement of conflict and violent extremism and terrorism; eradicating poverty and promoting sustainable economic development; strengthening the rule of law; nurturing inclusive and pluralist political systems; combatting organised crime, human trafficking and people smuggling, and modern day slavery; and reinforcing respect for human rights"[24] and called for international co-operation and the adherence of international law in regards to migration, calling on "all stakeholders to work towards a lasting solution to this global issue".[24]
Sustainable development
On the issue of sustainable development leaders adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and called for its implementation in the hopes that it would "lead to the eradication of poverty in all its dimensions and ensure no one is left behind"[24] and also agreed to "provide continued assistance to member states in attaining long-term debt sustainability by means of technical advice on institutional strengthening, debt financing, debt strategy formulation and debt restructuring."[24]
Other issues
The Communiqué also touched on the concerns of small states, pledging to advocate internationally on their behalf, trade, in particular pledging to augment access to trade and investment finance for small, vulnerable, or developing states, youth, and the importance of developing youth leadership, gender equality and women's empowerment, calling in particular for continued efforts to "prevent and eliminate child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation",[24] public health, underlining the importance of immunization programs to tackle diseases such as malaria and committing states to the eradication of polio as a global priority, and calling "on the Commonwealth at large to support the strengthening of policies for universal health coverage in order to build strong and resilient health systems that will, in turn, enable better responses to public health threats and emergencies".[24]
The meeting also called for easier movement of Commonwealth citizens between member states.[24]
Country issues
Leaders also welcomed progress on continuing national and regional issues such as improve bilateral relations between
See also
References
- ^ "Malta to host CHOGM 2015". 17 November 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
- ^ "Cameron set to antagonise Commonwealth summit hosts again". Yahoo!. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
- ^ "UN chief to attend CHOGM". Times of Malta. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- ^ "Today at CHOGM". The Commonwealth. Commonwealth Secretariat. Archived from the original on 27 November 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ "Theme". The Commonwealth. Commonwealth Secretariat. 19 October 2015. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ "Queen to greet line-up of despots at meeting of Commonwealth leaders in Malta". Daily Telegraph. 26 November 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ a b "CHOGM Decides – The election of the next Commonwealth Secretary General". Commonwealth Oral Histories. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
- ^ a b "Lady Scotland vies to be next Commonwealth secretary general". The Guardian. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- ^ "Alexander Downer touted as next secretary general of the Commonwealth". The Guardian. 10 November 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
- ^ "Tewarie withdrawn as T&T supports Sanders for Commonwealth SG". Trinidad and Tobago Guardian. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
- ^ "Commonwealth elects first woman secretary general". Times of Malta. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ "The Baroness beats Sir Ron". Antigua Observer. 27 November 2015. Archived from the original on 30 November 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ^ a b "New Commonwealth unit to fight extremists". 30 November 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ "Baroness Patricia Scotland wins the election". Antiguan Observer. 27 November 2015. Archived from the original on 30 November 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ^ a b "PM to attend CHOGM and visit Berlin". Scoop Independent News. Press Release. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
- ^ "CHOGM 2015 to give final push to Paris climate change Summit – Environment Minister". Malta Independent. 7 September 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
- ^ "Canada's Commonwealth agenda: Special climate session, Trudeau toast to Queen". CBC News. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ "Justin Trudeau could be a fresh face for a Commonwealth in need of renewal". Ottawa Citizen. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
- ^ a b "David Cameron: Commonwealth must fight corruption and extremism". BBC News. 28 November 2015.
- ^ "Commonwealth seeking strong solutions on climate change". The Economic Times. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ "Baroness Scotland uses new role as secretary‑general of the Commonwealth to call for LGBT rights". The Independent. 28 November 2015. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ^ "Commonwealth dream looms in Brexit campaign". BBC News. 26 November 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ "Britain to host next Commonwealth summit in 2018". Global Post. Agence France-Presse. 28 November 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Communiqué (CHOGM Malta 2015)" (PDF). The Commonwealth. Commonwealth Secretariat. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ "Queen to travel to Malta for Commonwealth summit".
- ^ "State Visit to Malta and CHOGM". British Monarchy press release. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ^ "Queen Elizabeth II and the Commonwealth". The Royal Family. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
The last Commonwealth country The Queen visited was Malta in 2015 for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. This was also Her Majesty's final overseas visit.
- ^ "UN chief to attend CHOGM". Times of Malta. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
- ^ "Hollande to Address Malta Commonwealth Summit on Climate Change". Bloomberg. 25 November 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
- ^ "Sushma Swaraj leaves for Malta to attend Commonwealth Summit". DNA India. 26 November 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
- ^ "Commonwealth summit kicks off amid unprecedented security". Business Standard. Press Trust of India. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ a b "At Commonwealth, Trudeau is on the strange case of the Maltese Talkin'". Globe and Mail. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ "Domestic concerns come first for Tonga PM". Radio New Zealand. 25 November 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ "PM DECIDED NOT TO ATTEND COP21 DUE TO PARLIAMENT". Solomon Islands B. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ "Vanuatu's president dissolves parliament after MPs convicted of bribery". Radio Australia. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ "Queen to open Commonwealth meeting in Malta". The Herald Voice. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ a b c "Commonwealth leaders call for legally binding climate change deal". CTV News. 29 November 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ "Trudeau pledges $2.65B to climate-change fund at Commonwealth summit". Toronto Star. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ "Australia, Britain and Canada commit to climate change action at Commonwealth summit". The Commonwealth. Commonwealth Secretariat. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ "New Hub to help small states access millions for climate change". Commonwealth Secretariat. 28 November 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ a b "India pledges $2.5 million aid for Commonwealth nations". Omnamorama. 29 November 2015. Archived from the original on 1 December 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ "Prince of Wales proposes new initiative to help environmental projects". The Commonwealth. Commonwealth Secretariat. 26 November 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ "Britain to fund team of counter-extremism experts in Commonwealth". The Guardian. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.